Baltimore Orioles

* * * Owner. Its sequel, The Godfather, Part III, was released in 1990. * * Manager. The success of The Godfather Part II began the Hollywood tradition of numbered sequels, as with Rocky III, Halloween 2, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and many others. * Player and manager. Paramount Pictures was initially opposed to his decision to name the movie The Godfather Part II. According to Coppola, the studio's objection stemmed from the belief that audiences would be reluctant to see a film with such a title, as the audience would supposedly believe that, having already seen The Godfather, there was little reason to see an addition to the original story. * Manager. In the director's commentary on the DVD edition of the film (released in 2002), Coppola states that this film was the first major motion picture to use "Part II" as the title.

Coaches. The film has also been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Manager. Gazzo), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Lee Strasberg), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Talia Shire) and Best Costume Design. Future addition. It was also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Al Pacino), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Michael V. There is some hope that having competition in the larger Baltimore-Washington metro market will spur the Orioles to field a better product to compete for fans with the Nationals; there may be some truth to this speculation as the retooled 2005 Orioles have been in first place since early in April. In addition to Best Picture, The Godfather Part II won Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert De Niro), Academy Award for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Director (Francis Ford Coppola), Best Music, Original Dramatic Score (Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola) and Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material.

The new Washington Nationals (who begin play in 2005) threaten to carve into the Orioles fan base and television dollars. In fact, some have commented that even while Coppola won Best Director for The Godfather, there is an equally good case for him to win the same award for The Conversation if he were nominated for that film. - for which Angelos has demanded compensation from Major League Baseball. The Conversation was released to theaters in 1974 and was also nominated for Best Picture, resulting in Coppola being the only director in Hollywood history to have two films released in the same year nominated for Best Picture and competing for the same prize at the Academy Awards. Further complicating the situation for the Orioles is the relocation of the Montreal Expos franchise to nearby Washington, D.C. In between The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Coppola directed The Conversation, a story of a paranoid wiretapping and surveillance expert (played by Gene Hackman) who finds himself caught up in a possible murder plot. Going into the 2005 season, the Orioles have had seven consecutive sub-.500 seasons without a post-season visit - the combination of lackluster play of the team’s part and the ascent of the Yankees and Red Sox to the top of the game - each rival having a clear advantage in financial flexibility due to their larger media market size. The Godfather series remains the only series to win two awards for Best Picture award, however.

With the decline and eventual departure of two local teams - the NFL's Baltimore Colts and baseball's Washington Senators, the Orioles' excellence paid off at the gate, as the team cultivated a large and rabid fan base at old Memorial Stadium. The Godfather, Part II is one of only two sequels ever to win the Academy Award for Best Picture (the other being The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King). As the Robinson boys grew older, newer stars emerged including multiple Cy Young Award winner Jim Palmer and switch-hitting first baseman Eddie Murray. Francis Coppola has suggested (perhaps retroactively) that the ambiguity of this plot reflects the double-dealings and betrayals of the underworld, in which no one can really trust anyone (despite the emphasis on "family" and "business" that is repeatedly stated throughout the series). They played baseball the "Oriole Way", an organizational ethic best described by acerbic manager Earl Weaver as "pitching, defense, and the three run home run.". The person responsible for this "mob hit" is never truly revealed, and some have said it is a weakness in the plot; however, audience members have generally chosen to overlook this plot point in favor of the overall story. The Orioles farm system had begun to produce a number of high quality players and coaches who formed the core of winning teams; from 1966 to 1983, the Orioles won three World Series titles (1966, 1970, and 1983), six American League pennants, and five of the first six American League Eastern Division titles. Some discussions and minor complaints from fans and film buffs focus upon one apparent plot hole in the story, involving an assassination attempt upon the Corleone family lieutenant in New York City, Frank Pentangeli (played by Michael Gazzo).

Robinson went on to become the first player to win the Most Valuable Player award in each league while hitting for the Triple Crown (leading the American League in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.) The Orioles won their first ever American League championship in 1966, and in a major upset, swept the World Series by out-dueling the Los Angeles Dodgers aces Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. By the time the film's climax is reached, in a montage of death and murder that mirrors the climax of the first film, Michael has committed unforgivable sins and destroyed the heart of the family—and his own soul. In 1966, the Orioles traded with the Cincinnati Reds and acquired slugging outfielder Frank Robinson. Unlike his father, Michael finds himself in a changed world, where the Corleone family finds itself falling apart, even as Michael reaches to make the Corleone business more powerful than ever before. By the early 1960's, stars such as Brooks Robinson, John "Boog" Powell, and Dave McNally were being developed by a strong farm system. The "modern day" portion of the film takes place several years after Vito Corleone's death, and his son Michael Corleone's ascension to the role of the new Don. The new AL Orioles took about six years to become competitive. In a meticulous recreation of the Italian section of New York City at the beginning of the 20th Century, the audience experiences the early life of Vito Corleone, and his experiences with the Mafia: the murder of his father (first), brother (second) and mother (third) by a Sicilian crimelord; his flight to America, where he finds the mob in control of the Italian neighborhood of his new home; his beginnings as a petty thief, and his eventual rise to power as the new "Don." As in The Godfather, Vito Corleone portrays the mythical Mafia Don as a man of respect, someone who appears to be out to help his fellow men (despite the acts of murder and violence he commits).

The team immediately took on the nickname "Orioles", a name with a long and storied history in the city:. This version of Vito is played by different actors at different ages, but the adult Vito is played by Robert DeNiro, who won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for a role in which, interestingly, he speaks almost no English-language dialogue. Following the 1953 season, Veeck sold his controlling interest to Clarence Miles, and the American League owners approved the relocation of the team to Baltimore. One storyline is the continuing story involving Michael Corleone in the 1950s; the other is a flashback sequence following his father, Vito, from his youth in Sicily up through the founding of the Corleone crime family in New York and the births of Michael and his siblings. Louis based American League pennant in 1944, but they faced their local rivals, the more successful Cardinals, and lost the 1944 World Series, 4-2. The plot consists of two parallel storylines, and the film switches back and forth between them. During the war, the Browns won their only St. Coppola then insisted upon complete creative control of the film and a minumum of studio interference, plus a sizable salary; Paramount Pictures agreed to these conditions, and Coppola committed himself to directing the sequel.

Just before World War II, the Browns came close to moving to Los Angeles, nearly two decades before big league baseball eventually arrived in California. He initially suggested to Paramount that Martin Scorsese (who was still an up-and-coming director at the time, as well as a friend of Coppola) direct the sequel, but the studio refused. Louis - the AL Browns and the NL Cardinals - eventually forced Browns majority owner Bill Veeck to consider moving his franchise. Coppola stated that he was not in favor of directing a sequel to The Godfather, because he had waged a number of battles with the studio (and at one point was even danger of being fired from his position). Half a century of sub-par baseball and the existence of two major league teams in St. The film was written by Francis Ford Coppola from the original work by Mario Puzo, and was directed by Coppola. Louis Browns of the fledgling American League. Many critics consider the sequel to be equal to (if not superior to) the original film in quality.

The modern Orioles can trace their franchise link back to the Milwaukee Brewers of the Western League, who in 1902 became the St. Gazzo, John Cazale, Talia Shire and Lee Strasberg. They are owned by attorney Peter Angelos. The movie also stars Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Michael V. They are in the Eastern Division of the American League. The movie follows the original Godfather film by alternating the story of a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro), with his son Michael's (Al Pacino) rise to control the Mob in Las Vegas. The Baltimore Orioles are a Major League Baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Godfather, Part II is the 1974 sequel to The Godfather.

Bluefield Orioles
Sarasota Orioles. Frederick Keys
Delmarva Shorebirds
Aberdeen IronBirds. Bowie Baysox. Ottawa Lynx.

American League
. Pitching strikeouts: Mike Mussina, 218 (1997). Pitching Wins: John McGinnitty, 26 (1901). Hitting streak: Eric Davis, 30 games (1998).

Stolen bases: Luis Aparicio, 57 (1964). Triples: George Sisler, 18 (1920-1921-1922). Doubles: George Sisler, 49 (1920). Hits: George Sisler, 257 (1920).

Runs: George Sisler, 137 (1920). Runs batted In: Miguel Tejada, 150 (2004). Home runs: Brady Anderson, 50 (1996). Batting average: George Sisler, .420 (1922).

Bluefield Orioles (Rookie, Appalachian League). Aberdeen IronBirds (Short-Season A, New York - Penn League). Delmarva Shorebirds (A, South Atlantic League). Frederick Keys (High-A, Carolina League).

Bowie Baysox (AA, Eastern League). Ottawa Lynx (AAA, International League). Jon Miller - Voice of the Orioles during the 80's and 90's. Frick Award recipient.

Ernie Harwell - Voice of the Orioles in the late 50's and Ford C. Frick Award recipient. Chuck Thompson - Voice of the Orioles for 50 years and Ford C. 42 Jackie Robinson (retired throughout baseball).

33 Eddie Murray. 22 Jim Palmer. 20 Frank Robinson.   8 Cal Ripken, Jr.

  5 Brooks Robinson.   4 Earl Weaver. 54 Sammy Snider (bullpen catcher). 44 Elrod Hendricks (bullpen).

48 Terry Crowley (hitting). 34 Ray Miller (pitching).   2 Sam Perlozzo (bench). 55 Tom Trebelhorn (third base).

24 Rick Dempsey (first base). 12 Lee Mazzilli. (Expected to enter Hall of Fame in 2007 on first ballot). Cal Ripken, Jr.

Hoyt Wilhelm. Earl Weaver. Louis Browns). Rube Waddell (St.

Louis Browns). George Sisler (St. Frank Robinson. Brooks Robinson.

Robin Roberts. Louis Browns). Branch Rickey (St. Jim Palmer.

Eddie Murray. George Kell. Reggie Jackson. Rick Ferrell.

Hugh Duffy (Milwaukee Brewers). Luis Aparicio. The huge post-season crowds at their temporary home, Municipal Stadium, caught the attention of the big league brass and helped open the door to the return of major league baseball to Baltimore. The Orioles of the IL won several league championships, including 1944 after they had lost their home field Oriole Park in a disastrous mid-season fire.

Baltimore's own George Herman Ruth - nicknamed "Babe" - pitched for the Orioles before being sold to the AL Boston Red Sox in 1916. As a member of the high-minor league level International League, the Orioles competed at the AAA level from 1903-1953. In 1901, Baltimore and McGraw were awarded an expansion franchise in the growing American League, but the team was transferred to New York City in 1903 and, after some early struggles, eventually became baseball's most successful franchise - the New York Yankees. Despite its on-field success, it was one of the four teams contracted by the National League after the 1899 season.

That team had started as a charter member of the American Association in 1882. In the 1890's, a powerful and innovative National League Orioles squad included several future Hall of Famers, such as "Wee" Willie Keeler, Wilbert Robinson, Hughie Jennings and John McGraw, and won three straight pennants.